This is the 1716th most frequent Catalan word.
dels
"Of the" or "from the."
Here, 'dels' acts as a contraction of the preposition 'de' (of) combined with the article 'els' (the, plural masculine), meaning 'of the'.
Vaig veure un dels ocells al parc.
I saw one of the birds in the park.
In this sentence, 'dels' signifies possession, meaning 'of the' when referring to the students owning the books.
Els llibres dels estudiants són a la taula.
The students' books are on the table.
Here, 'dels' connects 'els amics' (the friends) with 'els veïns' (the neighbors) to indicate association or belonging.